At IPL, many brands fail to read writing on the jersey

An ardent Indian Premier League (IPL) fan may know the statistics of all the top players of his favourite team, but he will get thoroughly confused if asked to name all the brands that are placed on the players’ jerseys.

Typically, all the players during the IPL matches were seen sporting 8-10 logos on their jerseys -- from chest and back to lead arm and leg. Altogether, the 8 franchisees managed to lock minimum of 10 sponsorship deals each, which brought together 65 different brands on their players’ jerseys.

Now, there’s a reason for the IPL to be the darling of advertisers: it is undoubtedly the single-largest property that delivers constant viewership and sustained buzz, every single day, for 50 straight days. And as no advertiser with deep pockets can resist the temptation to jump on to the bandwagon, players end up looking like walking billboards.

However, the question remains that with so many brands joining the fray, brand recall and thus a return on investment can be a challenge.

“Every advertiser wants his brand’s logo on the players’ jerseys, but the question is at what cost. It is becoming a crowded space and until they have a disruptive strategy, the logo may not even register,” said top executive of a media buying agency which has two major clients sponsoring various teams.

He said that brands such as Reliance Jio and Gionee played smart this season, but many brands remained completely unnoticed with almost nil brand recall.

According to Irvinder Kaur, managing partner at mConsult, a GroupM company, among franchisee apparel properties, front chest of the jersey (35%) and back of the jersey are top two performing ones when it comes to brand recall and RoI, provided the right activation by brands.

Not surprisingly, Gionee was the highest benefactor among all front chest sponsors recall through its presence on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as well as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) this year.

While Gionee has been the principal sponsor of the Kolkata Franchise for the past 3 years, it also sponsored Royal Challengers Bangalore this season. By sponsoring two teams, the company ensured visibility of Gionee brand in 26 of the 56 games till the knockouts.

However, Reliance Jio was the highest recalled brand among all team sponsors, mainly due to its association with seven out of eight IPL teams as either back of jersey or lead arm sponsor as well as multimedia presence during the league.

Sanjay Vakharia, COO Spykar Lifestyle, told ET that his company sees immense value in sponsoring IPL, all of which can't be measured purely on rupee terms. “The rub-off and recall is positive and national, especially when you associate with the best in the class team and more when the team is on a roll,” he said.

According to Vakharia, Spykar was conscious of the placement of the brand and went for back, along with the name and number of the player. “These activations work subconsciously and over a period of time. In the case of established brands like Spykar, where business is already optimal, it works to keep the brand in the correct orbit and part of the consideration set for the consumers,” he said.

Another media buyer said that there were many brands such as Xrbia, Kenya Tourism, Romeo and Juliet Relaxed Wear, Arabol Lubricants, Khadims and Plaza Premium Lounge, which a viewer will find very difficult to associate with any team. “That is when it becomes a horror,” he said.